Phenol composition



. fi ly divided form For example, when applied minute particles of the solid phenol. This sub- 15 Patented Aug.15, 1939 I 2,169,240

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Sheldon B. Heath and Merlin 0. Keller, Midland,

Mich, assignors to The Dow Chemical Company, Midland, Mich, a corporation of Michigan No Drawing. Application October 1937,

Serial No. 167,411

11 Claims. (Cl. 1 1-31 This invention concerns compositions comtion. A further object is to provide substantially prising mixtures of starch and solid phenol comanhydrous compositions comprising solid phenol pounds in which the starch is dispersed in and compounds adapted to be used in the preparathrough'th-e phenol compound and held thereby tion of microbicidal and/or insecticidal spray 5 as in solid suspension. compositions. An additional object is to provide 5 Phenols generally have been found to be of a et od for the preparation of such comp value as microbicidal, fungicidal, and insecticidal, O S- O er Objects of the invention will become materials and assuch are frequently employed as apparent Item the following pe fica on. dusts, as aqueous suspensions, as solutions in I have discovered t the Product Obtained by organic solvents, and as solutes m the oily phase mixing starch with a fused phenol mp nd. of oil-water emulsion compositions, etc. In order and Particularly a p und having a meltin that these compounds may function with maxi- P in excess C. possesses the charactermum utility f r Such purposes in such istic of rapidly disintegrating on contact with positions, it is desirable that theyibe obtainable in Water aqueous Solutions to give a suspension at stantially anhydrous fusion mixture does not readily absorb moisture from the air and is not appreciably aii'ected by exposure to air and light or by prolonged storage. I have further found in water suspension or as dusts, the particle size of the phenol compound determines .thecoverage obtainable with any given amount thereof and in many instances the degree of effectiveness result- 2o ing from such application. Oil-water emulsions 2 solid dispersions are weu.adapted for i containing a solid phenol as a toxic ingredient are g z g z gggz' gz g g g ggflggfi s d rli :endiin- 11 0d b th tank-mix method, S s 3 :1; a g fi s phenol compound of solid phenol compounds, dusts comprising such and enluls fier e migted to ether immediate; compounds in finely divided form, and particu- 5 g larly tank-mix oil-water emulsions.

prior to the use of the composition. Solutions of r I send pheno s i various organic solvents are vref- Sui;it???1131565 11eitiiti fiiie ififi rf erably pr p by stirringfhe Phenol compound suiting slurry solidified by. cooling below the with a solvent. In preparing S t suspen fusion temperature of the mixture to form a hard slons, and emulsions as above, it is preferable that brittle cake and the cake roughly comminuted by the so d P e l compound be emp oye in h crushing or grinding. The state of division of the 30 a State Of S that It be qulckly and substantially anhydrous product, resulting from ple y disp s In the water solvent with such comminution is not critical, although a ma- Out t e necessity Q applifmg heat theretoterial having an average particle size of from 5 E or to DIOVlde 50nd Phenol compcunds in to 60 screen mesh is to be preferred. The amount finely divided form as by grinding, etc., have Starch stirred molten phenol 35 proven impractical, due to the tendency of such pound may vary f 5 to 100 parts per 100 parts co p coalesce into bans which pack of the phenol, thepreferred amount thereof degether. Furthermore, such phenols when ground pending upon the purpose f which the cooled 40 cannot be conveniently stored in finely divided and ground material is to be employed w form since the particles tend gmw tOgetheT' wet with water and agitated, the mechanically 40 sublime, o otherwise to reassociate, giving rise held starch in the coarsely ground fusion mixture a Pmduct containing agglomemeswhich rapidly swells and disintegrates to form a nonpr ile isunsuitedfol 1 in insecticidal sticking slurry of starch particles and an aqueous croblcldal Preparatmns where fineness of dispersion of the solid phenol compound in ex- 4-; tlcle sizeis of paramount importance tremely finely divided form. The dispersed A bl c Of hi invention to Pmvide phenol compound is in the form of fine crystal PO t comprlsm? solid P communds segments, some of which approach a size of 40 Wh ch'O 0911130]? Wlth Water will disintegrate microns, the majority being about 2 microns in g e fi e ispersions of the free phe o A fllrdiameter. The percentage of 2-micron particles 50 the O J t lnltelltlon is to provide composiincreases as increasing amounts or starch are ns p g solid ph pounds which employed in the fusion mixture and approaches y be roughly commlnutedand thereafter 100 per cent as the proportion of starch employed 7 stored indefinitely withoutundergoing change in therein approaches 50 per cent by weight of the particle size or other chemical or physical alteramixture. 55

Wetting agents such as sulphite process waste liquor products, spruce extract, sulphonated oils and fatty acids, sulphated alcohols, blood albumen, phenol sulphonic acids, etc., may be included in the mixture, the presence of such materials therein accelerating the tendency of the product to become wetted upon contact with water and to disintegrate. These wetting and dispersing agents can, if desired, be added to the fusion mixture in the molten state although I generally prefer to make such addition to the cooled and roughly ground product by mechanical mixing.

A representative dry fusion mixture found particularly useful for insecticidal purposes has the following composition.

Parts by weight 2 ,4-dinitro-6-cyclohexyl phenol 54 Starch 46 'Dry sulphite waste liquor (Goulac) 46 In preparing the above, the starch was slowly added with stirring to the molten 2,4-dinitro-6- cyclohexyl phenol at temperatures gradually increasing from 100 to 120 C. The resulting mixture was a thick paste which was thereafter cooled to solidify the same and the solid cake ground to an average particle size of screen mesh. This product was found to disintegrate rapidly when stirred with water to give a nonsticking suspension of swelled starch particles, and a dispersion of 2,4-dinitro-6-cyclohexyl phenol in water having an average particle size of approximately 2 microns; The roughly ground material prepared above was mechanically mixed with dried sulphite waste liquor, i. e. Goulac, to facilitate wetting thereof with water. 0.67 gram of the mixture so obtained was found to disperse in 100 milliliters of distilled water at C. in approximately 2 minutes. The dispersed product was free of agglomerates of 2,4-dinitro-6-cyclohexyl phenol.

A water-oil emulsion prepared by mixing 1.9 pounds of the above described product containing the wetting agent, 0.6 pound of bentonite, 15 gallons of water, and 16.6 pounds of a light lubricating oil, and thereafter rapidly agitating such mixture for several minutes and diluting to 100 gallons with water, was adapted to be employed as a dormant spray for the control of insect pests.

Other compositions obtained by mixing starch with a fused phenol compound were as follows:

Parts by weight Ortho-phenylphenol 15 Starch L; 4-tertiary-butyl phenol 15 Starch -w 1 2,4,6-trichlorophenol i5 Starch r i i ZA-dinitrO-G-methyi phenol l5 Starch i i contained therein to be dusted from surfaces sprayed or otherwise treated therewith following evaporation of the aqueous medium.

Among other phenols which can be similarly compounded with starch to obtain compositions which dissociate on contact with water are pentachlorophenol, 2,4-dinitro-6-phenylphenol, 2,45,6- tetrachlorophenol, 2,4,6-tribromophenol, 1,2-dihydroxy phenol, 4-n-hexyl resorcinol, and other solid diand tri-hydroxy phenols and such substitution products thereof as are solid.

Other modes of applyingthe principle of our invention may be employed instead of those ex plained, change being made as regards the products and methods herein disclosed, provided the compositions or steps stated by any of the following claims or the equivalent of such stated compositions or steps be employed.

We therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as our invention:

1. A roughly comminuted composition of matter comprising as major constituents a solid phenol compound and starch, the latter being in solid suspension in said phenol, which composition is capable of disintegrating on contact with water to form a suspension comprising the solid phenol compound in finely divided form.

2. A roughly comminuted composition of matter comprising a solid phenol compound and from 5 to 100 per cent by weight thereof of starch in solid suspension in said phenol, which composition is capable of disintegrating on contact with water to form a suspension comprising the phenol compound in finely divided form.

3. A roughly comminuted substantially anhydrous mixture of a solid phenol compound and from 5 to 100 per cent by weight thereof of starch, in which the starch is in solid suspension in the phenol compound.

4. A composition comprising a solid suspension of starch in a solid phenol compound and prepared by stirring starch into said phenol at temperatures above'the melting point of the latter, thereafter cooling the mixture to solidify the same, and roughly comminuting the resulting solid cake.

5. A roughly comminuted composition of matter comprising as major constituents a phenol compound melting above 50 C. and starch, the latter being in solid suspension in said phenol, which composition is capable of disintegrating on contact with water to form a suspension comprising a solid phenol compound in finely divided form.

6. A roughly comminuted composition of matter consisting of 100 parts of a phenol compound melting above 50 (3., from 5 to 100 parts by weight of starch in solid suspension in said phenol, and a wetting agent.

Z. A roughly comminuted substantially anhydrous mixture of starch and 2.4-dinitro-6-cyclo- "nexyl phenol, in which the starch is in solid suspension in' the 2.4-dinitro-6-cyclohexyl phenol.

8. A roughly comminuted. substantially anhydrous mixture of 100 parts of 2.4=-dinitro-6-cyclohexyl phenol and from 5 to 100 parts by weight of starch, in which the starch is in solid suspension in the 2.i-dinitro-6-cyclohexyl phenol.

9. A composition comprising a solid suspension of starch in ZA-dinitro-cyclchexyi phenol and '50 prepared by stirring starch into inoiten BIL-dinitro-Gmyclohexyl phenol, thereafter cooling the mixture to solidify the same, and. roughly comminuting the resulting solid cake.

10. A roughly comminuted substantially anhydrous mixture of 100 parts of 2.4-dinitro-6-methy1 phenol and from 5 to 100 parts by weight of starch in which the starch is in solid suspension in the 2.4-dinitro-6-methy1 phenol.

11. Aicomposition comprising a. solid suspension of starch in 2.4-dimtro-6-methyi phenol and prepared b3? stirring stai-ch into'molten 2.4-diniv tro-G-methyl phenol, thereafter cooling the mixtune to solidify the same, and roughly comminut ing the resulting solid cake.

SHELDON B. HEA'I'H. MERLIN O. KELLER. 

